The iPhone 14 launches in a few weeks and we couldn’t be more excited. This year’s iPhone update will be unprecedentedly risky, with more differences than ever between the Pro and non-Pro models, despite the two phones likely to have the same screen sizes the first time around. Some people will no doubt be unhappy with the things that have changed; others will be furious at the things that have stayed the same. But there are also plenty of reasons to be merry, especially if you’re planning to buy a Pro model. Here are five high-end features we can’t wait for.
The end of the notch
At first glance, most Apple fans hated the notch, the clunky window pane scooped out of the top of their iPhone X screens. After a while we learned to tolerate it, but it was never a comfortable relationship.
So we’re excited to inform you that the iPhone 14 Pro (but unfortunately not the vanilla iPhone 14) will be the first post-notch iPhone. The forward-facing sensors will instead (according to multiple reliable sources) be housed in a more subtle “hole and pill” pair of apertures.
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It’s not perfect. clear what we For real Because is an all-screen design with sensors hidden under the glass. But this is a very welcome compromise that obstructs less of the screen and looks nicer and more current than the aging notch.
An always-on screen
In 2019, with the launch of the Apple Watch Series 5, Apple introduced its first always-on display: one that continues to show essential information, albeit in a simplified and dimmed form, even when the device is in rest mode. Three years later, the feature is coming to the iPhone 14 Pro.
The timing should be right, with the new launch coming up, as Apple iPhone owners make significant changes to their lock screens for the first time. You can choose which widgets are essential enough to appear on the iPhone’s ‘sleep’ lock screen – and it looks like there will be sleep versions of Apple’s wallpapers, too.
Here’s how the always-on screen is likely to work.
This will likely be a feature limited to the Pro models, but while we’re on the subject of screens, there may be some good news for non-Pro buyers as well: ProMotion is expected to appear on all new models this year.
A whole bunch of megapixels
Ming-Chi Kuo thinks Apple is about to upgrade the wide-angle camera lens in its Pro iPhones from the current 12 MP to 48 MP. Android fans have become accustomed to some lackluster numbers when it comes to camera specs, but that’s an astonishing increase for Apple, which has been sitting at 12MP for years.
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Apple has always favored experience over spec, but it’s hard not to get a little excited about a sudden quadrupling of the megapixel rating. Considering how good the iPhone 13 Pro’s camera is at 12MP, this is a tempting prospect, with leaks claiming its bright light performance is great.
Reports also claim that the rear camera can record 8K video, at least on the Pro models, while the front camera gets autofocus and a wider aperture: f/1.9 instead of f/2.2.
A better chip
A new chip for the iPhone is usually a pretty standard feature, but this year it’s more interesting. It is rumored that the A16 chip will be exclusive to the iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max and could bring a major performance boost to the high-end phone. Since Apple plans to separate the Pro and non-Pro models, we’re very curious to see what kind of improvements this new chip will bring to the top of the lineup, as well as improvements in memory, neural engine, and image processing.
A new color!
This is pretty superficial, but every year we get excited about the new color Apple is going to add to its iPhone range. The non-Pro line got pink in 2021, a beautiful dark blue in 2020 and purple in 2019; the Pro models have won and lost several greens and blues over the years, while the gold option never seems to be quite the same.
Dark purple and blue might just be the new cool shade with the iPhone 14 Pro.
What will Apple add in 2022? The Pantone colors for this fall include bold shades of orange, red, pink, yellow and green, so expect the iPhone 14 to offer something bright. According to the latest rumors, the iPhone 14 Pro will come in a new deep purple color and possibly also in a darker blue.
Check out our regularly updated guide to the iPhone 14 for all the latest rumors ahead of the September launch event.